The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965. Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed a short-lived Confederation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty, but tensions have flared up intermittently since then. Yahya JAMMEH led a military coup in 1994 that overthrew the president and banned political activity. A new constitution and presidential election in 1996, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to civilian rule. JAMMEH was elected president in all subsequent elections including most recently in late 2011. After 22 years of increasingly authoritarian rule, President JAMMEH was defeated in free and fair elections in December 2016. Due to The Gambia’s poor human rights record under JAMMEH, international development partners had distanced themselves, and substantially reduced aid to the country. These channels may re-open under the administration of President

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal

13 28 N, 16 34 W

Africa

slightly less than twice the size of Delaware

80 km

tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May)

flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills

highest point: unnamed elevation 53 m

fish, clay, silica sand, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon

arable land 41%; permanent crops 0.5%; permanent pasture 14.6%

50 sq km (2012)

settlements are found scattered along the Gambia River; the largest communities, including the capital of Banjul, and the country's largest city, Serekunda, are found at the mouth of the Gambia River along the Atlantic coast

droughts

deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent

almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the African mainland

2,051,363 (July 2017 est.)

Mandinka/Jahanka 34%, Fulani/Tukulur/Lorobo 22.4%, Wolof 12.6%, Jola/Karoninka 10.7%, Serahuleh 6.6%, Serer 3.2%, Manjago 2.1%, Bambara 1%, Creole/Aku Marabout 0.7%, other 0.9%, non-Gambian 5.2%, no answer 0.6% (2013 est.)

English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars

Muslim 95.7%, Christian 4.2%, none 0.1%, no answer 0.1% (2013 est.)

The Gambia’s youthful age structure – almost 60% of the population is under the age of 25 – is likely to persist because the country’s total fertility rate remains strong at nearly 4 children per woman. The overall literacy rate is around 55%, and is significantly lower for women than for men. At least 70% of the populace are farmers who are reliant on rain-fed agriculture and cannot afford improved seeds and fertilizers. Crop failures caused by droughts between 2011 and 2013 have increased poverty, food shortages, and malnutrition.

The Gambia is a source country for migrants and a transit and destination country for migrants and refugees. Since the 1980s, economic deterioration, drought, and high unemployment, especially among youths, have driven both domestic migration (largely urban) and migration abroad (legal and illegal). Emigrants are largely skilled workers, including doctors and nurses, and provide a significant amount of remittances. The top receiving countries for Gambian emigrants are Spain, the US, Nigeria, Senegal, and the UK. While the Gambia and Spain do not share historic, cultural, or trade ties, rural Gambians have migrated to Spain in large numbers because of its proximity and the availability of jobs in its underground economy (this flow slowed following the onset of Spain’s late 2007 economic crisis).

The Gambia’s role as a host country to refugees is a result of wars in several of its neighboring West African countries. Since 2006, refugees from the Casamance conflict in Senegal have replaced their pattern of flight and return with permanent settlement in The Gambia, often moving in with relatives along the Senegal-Gambia border. The strain of providing for about 7,400 Casamance refugees has increased poverty among Gambian villagers.

2.05% (2017 est.)

29.4 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

7 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

settlements are found scattered along the Gambia River; the largest communities, including the capital of Banjul, and the country's largest city, Serekunda, are found at the mouth of the Gambia River along the Atlantic coast

BANJUL (capital) 504,000 (2015)

20.9 years

706 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

3.52 children born/woman (2017 est.)

9% (2013)

7.3% of GDP (2014)

0.11 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

1.1 beds/1,000 population (2011)

urban: 94.2% of population

rural: 84.4% of population

total: 90.2% of population

urban: 5.8% of population

rural: 15.6% of population

total: 9.8% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 61.5% of population

rural: 55% of population

total: 58.9% of population

urban: 38.5% of population

rural: 45% of population

total: 41.1% of population (2015 est.)

1.7% (2016 est.)

20,000 (2016 est.)

1,100 (2016 est.)

10.3% (2016)

16.4% (2013)

2.8% of GDP (2013)

presidential republic

5 regions, 1 city*, and 1 municipality**; Banjul*, Central River, Kanifing**, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, West Coast

18 February 1965 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 18 February (1965)

mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC [Fabakary JATTA]

Coalition 2016 [collective leadership] (electoral coalition including UDP, PDOIS, NRP, GMC, GDC, PPP, GPDP)

Gambia Democratic Congress or GDC [Mama KANDEH]

Gambia Moral Congress or GMC [Mai FATTY]

Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress or GPDP [Henry GOMEZ]

National Reconciliation Party or NRP [Samba JALLOW]

National Convention Party or NCP [Ebrima Janko SANYANG]

People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA]

People's Progressive Party or PPP [Yaya CEESAY)]

United Democratic Party or UDP [Ousainou DARBOE]

The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations or TANGO

Female Lawyers Association of Gambia or FLAG

Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices or GAMCOTRAP

Gambia Press Union or GPU

West African Peace Building Network-Gambian Chapter or WANEB-GAMBIA

Youth Employment Network Gambia or YENGambia

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green; red stands for the sun and the savannah, blue represents the Gambia River, and green symbolizes forests and agriculture; the white stripes denote unity and peace

lion; national colors: red, blue, green, white

The government has invested in the agriculture sector because three-quarters of the population depends on the sector for its livelihood and agriculture provides for about one-third of GDP, making The Gambia largely reliant on sufficient rainfall. The agricultural sector has untapped potential - less than half of arable land is cultivated and agricultural productivity is low. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of cashews, groundnuts, fish, and hides. The Gambia's reexport trade accounts for almost 80% of goods exports and China has been its largest trade partner for both exports and imports for several years.

The Gambia has sparse natural resource deposits. It relies heavily on remittances from workers overseas and tourist receipts. Remittance inflows to The Gambia amount to about one-fifth of the country’s GDP. The Gambia's location on the ocean and proximity to Europe has made it one of the most frequented tourist destinations in West Africa, boosted by private sector investments in eco-tourism and facilities. Tourism normally brings in about 20% of GDP, but it suffered in 2014 from tourists’ fears of Ebola virus in neighboring West African countries. Unemployment and underemployment remain high.

Economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management, and on continued technical assistance from multilateral and bilateral donors. International donors and lenders were concerned about the quality of fiscal management under the administration of former President Yahya JAMMEH, who reportedly stole hundreds of millions of dollars of the country’s funds during his 22 years in power, but anticipate significant improvements under the new administration of President Adama BARROW, who assumed power in early 2017. As of April 2017, the IMF, the World Bank, the European Union, and the African Development Bank were all negotiating with the new government of The Gambia to provide financial support in the coming months to ease the country’s financial crisis.

The country’s GDP contracted in 2016 largely as a result of the limited availability of foreign exchange, weak agricultural output, the border closure with Senegal during the first half of the year, and a slowdown in tourism during the political impasse that occurred at the height of the tourist season. The country faces a large fiscal deficit and a high domestic debt burden that has crowded out private sector investment and driven interest rates to new highs. The new government has committed to taking steps to reduce the deficit, including through expenditure caps, debt consolidation, and reform of state-owned enterprises.

$3.418 billion (2016 est.)

$3.302 billion (2015 est.)

$3.132 billion (2014 est.)

$965 million (2016 est.)

2.2% (2016 est.)

4.3% (2015 est.)

0.9% (2014 est.)

$1,700 (2016 est.)

$1,700 (2015 est.)

$1,700 (2014 est.)

9.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

4.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

10.1% of GDP (2014 est.)

rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava (manioc, tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats

peanuts, fish, hides, tourism, beverages, agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking, clothing

-6.1% (2016 est.)

777,100 (2007 est.)

NA%

48.4% (2010 est.)

50.2 (1998)

20% of GDP (2016 est.)

-19.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

116.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

110.2% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

7.2% (2016 est.)

6.8% (2015 est.)

9% (31 December 2009)

11% (31 December 2008)

30.4% (31 December 2016 est.)

30.1% (31 December 2015 est.)

$279.6 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$261.2 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$529.9 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$507.4 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$496.7 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$475.2 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA

$-86 million (2016 est.)

$-131.7 million (2015 est.)

$106.6 million (2016 est.)

$108.3 million (2015 est.)

peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels

Mali 36.3%, Guinea 24.5%, Senegal 12.3%, China 11.7%, Guinea-Bissau 5.8% (2016)

$326.7 million (2016 est.)

$370.2 million (2015 est.)

foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment

Cote dIvoire 13%, Brazil 12.3%, China 11%, Belgium 8.6%, India 5.7%, Spain 4.7%, Senegal 4.6% (2016)

$87.64 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$111 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$526.7 million (31 December 2015 est.)

dalasis (GMD) per US dollar -

43.8846 (2016 est.)

43.8846 (2015 est.)

41.89 (2014 est.)

41.733 (2013 est.)

32.08 (2012 est.)

240 million kWh (2015 est.)

223.2 million kWh (2015 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

114,000 kW (2015 est.)

100% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2016 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

3,600 bbl/day (2015 est.)

41.62 bbl/day (2014 est.)

3,552 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

500,000 Mt (2013 est.)

state-owned, single-channel TV service; state-owned radio station and 15 privately owned radio stations; 6 community radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available, some via shortwave radio; cable and satellite TV subscription services are obtainable in some parts of the country (2015)

.gm

C5 (2016)

1 (2013)

390 km (on River Gambia; small oceangoing vessels can reach 190 km) (2010)

1.48% of GDP (2015)

1.72% of GDP (2014)

1.15% of GDP (2013)

1.22% of GDP (2012)

Office of the Chief of Defense Staff: Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambian Navy (GN), Republican National Guard (RNG) (2010)

18 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; service obligation 6 months (2012)

attempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists from southern Senegal's Casamance region, as well as from conflicts in other west African states